The House In The Outskirts Of Brussels by Belgian architects Samyn and Partners is like two houses in one. On one side, you’ve got exotic foliage sprouting wildly off a curving facade; on the other, a wall of flat, symmetrical windows that could pass for the front of an office building. We like to think of the place as the architectural equivalent of a mullet.

We mean that as a compliment! Especially since the look serves an actual purpose, shielding the house from prying eyes, without making the place feel like a bunker. The plants shroud the building in a veil of leafy privacy on the north, south, and east sides, where neighbors abound. Then, to the west, which looks out onto extensive private grounds, the architects built floor-to-ceiling glass, ensuring that the residents — a cinematographer and his family — can soak up plenty of natural light.

It’s an elegant solution to a classic problem in residential architecture. Maybe it’s high time mullets make a comeback.